“That wasn’t the plan. ... I think the misconception is that we just get on the phone and call whoever we want and we play them. Just to clarify the situation, scheduling may be one of the most challenging parts of the job. Scheduling and recruiting are the most challenging and also at the top of the list in terms of importance.”

Larry Krystkowiak, Utah basketball coach

“It’s something that we’d like to do but at the same time it needs to make sense within our schedule,” Krystkowiak said. “As I said, there’s just an awful lot of moving parts that go into it. So it’s not like we’re not interested in doing that or shunning it.”

Krystkowiak said that the Utes are entertaining the possibility of participating in a tournament with Utah schools at EnergySolutions Arena in the future.

RECRUITING SUCCESS: Although Krystkowiak could not discuss specifics because of NCAA rules, he did acknowledge that the Utes were able to secure commitments from a lot of kids they had at the top of their recruiting list.

Krystkowiak said they were looking for core ingredients in their recruiting — solid kids, some size, skill and kids that were cut of the right cloth.

“We were fortunate to get some commitments out of those kids,” he said.

Even so, Krystkowiak vows to adhere to the blueprint he has adopted since taking the job — don’t pat yourself on the back too much, jump to the next task and hope at the end of the day you’re where you want to be when the dust clears.

This summer, the Utes picked up 2014 recruiting commitments from power forward Brekkott Chapman, small forward Kyle Kuzma and point guard Isaiah Wright.

BACK AT IT: The Utes begin practice on Sept. 27. They’ll get 30 sessions in over the 42 days before the season opener.

Utah will host St. Martin’s in an exhibition game and participate in a closed scrimmage against an undisclosed team prior to taking on Evergreen State on Nov. 8. The Utes open Pac-12 play Jan. 2 against defending conference tournament champion Oregon.

Starting that day, Krystkowiak said Utah will have 18 games that are really, really good challenges.

“I think our league is going to be better. We’ve got our hands full. It’s daunting when we look at our conference schedule,” he continued. “Hopefully, we’ll be ready to go. It’s exciting to be a part of this league, and certainly it’s challenging.”